School Shoes

[hoteld]

Blatant misuse of AIBU- sorry!

I'm about to enter the world of school shoe shopping and I have a question. I've seen too many threads about school shoes being destroyed within weeks!

Is it worth going to the pricey independent shoe retailer to get a pair for £50-£60? Will they actually last better than Tescos £20? Or will they only last marginally longer in which case it would be better to get cheaper pairs and replace more regularly?

I don't mind paying a chunk as long as I'm not replacing them within the month.

Experienced parents of mumsnet, please talk school shoes to me!

Clarks won't fit if she has narrow feet. DD is a C to D width and Clarks can't fit her with any of their school shoes from the girls or boys ranges. We go to Start-Rite or Ricosta for narrow width school shoes and both are good quality.

I measure my own childrens feet as they wear barefoot shoes, hardly any independent retailers stock them (apart from Bobux)

I measure their feet in mm not shoe size. Happy little soles online sell barefoot shoes and they give you the measurements internal of each shoe.

I buy loads of shoes and then return the ones not suitable. I put them on a credit card so they can be refunded before my credit card bill is due.

Thanks. Have an appointment at the independent place today and following this will probably just go with what they suggest :)

Try and find shoes that have rubber protection on the front if you have a dd. They like to drag their feet across the playground on bikes etc and a lot of girls shoes don’t have the rubber protection and get ruined on the first day.

I have 2 narrow footed dc, shoe shopping is a nightmare. The independent shoe shop is expensive but the shoes always fit perfectly. Ricosta and ecco have been firm favourites.

My daughter went through 3 pairs shoes in Reception! And these were expensive barefoot shoes at c50-60 a pair. After the final pair started to fall apart I bought her a £16 leather Asda pair to get through the final weeks of term and I was actually pleasantly surprised at the width/softness/flexibility. I gave up on Clark’s after several experiences of dodgy measuring and claiming shoes that were clearly too small fitted her. DSD has found John Lewis school
shoes to be much better wearing than Clark’s.

Can anyone tell me what the width is like on the geox girls shoes? I have DDs with wide feet so looking for some sturdy wide fitting shoes.

I've had good success with John Lewis own brand. Real leather, good soles. They were an F width fitting and worked for us. Clarks has been very hit and miss over the years, to the point I only would buy them from the outlet as not worth the cost.

I buy clarks - I have a DS who loves playing football at all the breaktimes and they have lasted the whole years I have had them!

I used to buy expensive shoes - got sucked into buying a £60 pair of Geox shoes last year which were total rubbish that literally fell apart within a week - but have found Sainsbury's shoes last just as long and my 6 year old is pretty rough on shoes. Start Rite shoes are quite hardy (and comfy), but they are also about £50 a pair. If your child has wide feet, it will probably be more comfortable for them if you take them to an independent shoe shop to be properly measured and buy a shoe that is as close in width as possible to your child's size.

We start the term with dear ones and then often replace with cheap at Easter

Start rite every time. I have boys but I know a lot of parents with girls that buy them boys start rite for the younger years of primary because they are so robust.

I have a measuring gauge and order online. They always last the school year unless outgrown.

www.shoesforkids.co.uk/ try this

I'd recommend dr.martens school shoes as an option. My DD's lasted the whole school year with barely a scuff so will buy again this year- and I'm only replacing because her feet have grown. They do black stitches for lots of school shoes if you have a strict uniform policy. My DS on the other hand has narrow and long feet so am still on the search. We went through 3 pairs of Clark's one year with my daughter until I discovered they had a pair where the rubber went higher on the toe. I think they were called scoot.

Geox are brilliant. Make sure you get ones with toe bumpers.

Clarks for us. From an outlet, so £30 ish. Youngest is 5 and his have lasted the year, just outgrown. Eldest is 15 and hers have lasted too.

In my experience Clarks wore out quickly and had to be replaced. Since I've been buying Camper (on sale or new from eBay) they have lasted well enough that my second child can often wear them.

We had Hush Puppies for DD1 in reception (a few years ago now - she's about to go into yr4). They were very robust and were still in good condition when she grew out of them a year later. She walks to school and is an active child, so they had a lot of use. DD2 would have been able to wear them once she started school too if she hadn't got such ginormous feet and already grown beyond that size. We sold them on for £10 instead as they still looked good.

I always by George asda for my 4 kids. Although my niece is just about to turn 14 and a size 5 and her school is very fussy about what is and isn't allowed and I just forked out £50 for hers. Nearly cried at the price.

We buy from next or m&s tend to last well. Used to get next but they are extortionate and did not last too well.

Used to get Clark’s *

Hush Puppies are as good as Clark’s in my experience. Just ordered another two pairs tonight.

Thanks @SkankingWombat

Brilliant, I will try them out @RudsyFarmer

I prefer barefoot shoes and have found it impossible to predict which will wear well and which will quickly fall to pieces, which is gutting at the price.

Since DS outgrew Bobux, this has become much harder (both in terms of price and availability) and so he's mainly switched into cheap Adidas trainers from sports direct. At £20 a pop he's killing them inside of a term 😫 I don't think it's actually working out any cheaper than the barefoot ones used to, and I've lost the warm glow of believing his shoes are good for him too 😂

I love a rubber bumper when I can find one, I find they make a huge difference to the durability of shoes whether cheap or pricey brands.